Stripdowns

One last Halloween thing, before we consign it to the trash heap of 2013.  Actually, it’s one of the few things I don’t mind too much about this stupid event:  the way celebrities go out of their way to make even bigger fools of themselves than we know they are already.  That said, there are some benefits, especially when it comes to showing the flesh.

Take Mrs. Ozzy Osbourne, for instance:


…who was actually copying some else’s “costume”:

Oy, Sharon…

Then there’s Heidi Klum, who went the other way this Halloween and actually covered up (as opposed to being semi-naked most of the time):

Then there’s Jonathan Ross (“Wossy”)’s daughter Honey:

Okay, I’ll need to make amends for that one (no man should):

Okay, that’s enough of that.

Required Viewing

Almost every speech or article by Victor Davis Hanson is worth one’s attention, but his speech on George S. Patton is absolutely filled with all sorts of relevance in today’s society.

Specifically, VDH comments on the unease with which civilized societies view (and treat) their warriors — and he’s absolutely correct.  (By the way, the sainted Omar Bradley doesn’t come out very well, which alone makes it worth watching.)

(You only have to watch the first 40 minutes or so to get the full flavor.)

Worth Reading

Reader Jim somehow makes it through my broken email software to ask:  “I’d never hear of Alistair MacLean before, but I see he wrote quite a few novels.  Can you recommend just one, to start with?”

Absolutely.  HMS Ulysses is one of the best naval war novels ever written (along with Nicholas Monsarrat’s The Cruel Sea, another tour de force ).

Both the above should be required reading in high school.

“Modern”

Whenever one is confronted with the random squiggles and daubs that are a feature of “modern” art, there is an irresistible impulse to say dismissively “Looks like something my kid could do”.

Because it’s true.

I defy anyone to argue otherwise when seeing this travesty in what is quite possibly the world’s most cultured city.  (via Insty, thankee Sarah… I think)

Fucking hell.